This invention pertains to an imaging system for producing a desired final magnetic image in a travelling magnetic image-storage medium. Specifically, it pertains to such a system in which a final image is formed of image units and line segments formed of a plurality of contiguous units by a plurality of magnetic image-writing heads.
Most conventional magnetic writing heads may be positioned close enough together to produce, simultaneously, adjacent image units on a single line in forming a final composite image. Another type of magnetic imaging system uses heads disposed for making adjacent images in alternating complementary positions on a pair of adjacent lines.
The above-mentioned capabilities are not available in an imaging system made in conformance with this invention which uses writing heads of a type disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,554 for "Magnetic Imaging Apparatus", issued Nov. 8, 1983. Although the type of writing head disclosed in that application produces a very clear image, the requisite physical construction precludes placement of the heads to form, simultaneously, adjacent image units. Each writing head is capable of producing a magnetic image. In order to produce a smooth-looking line segment, it is necessary that images making up a line segment be essentially contiguous. Additionally, adjacent units in adjacent line segments have a known maximum center-to-center spacing. This maximum spacing is less than the actural center-to-center spacing of writing heads capable of producing those units. Thus, it is not possible to position heads closely enough to create adjacent images simultaneously.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a magnetic recording apparatus, having writing heads which have the limitations just described, which provides for the forming of preselected final images in a magnetic image-storage medium consisting of image units.
Specifically, a head distribution is provided whereby the heads, when viewed in a direction parallel to the direction of travel of the storage medium relative to the heads, have the same center-to-center spacing as the desired image-unit spacing in a line segment when viewed from the same direction.
These and additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the drawings and the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment.